In the past, files were stored as paper documents within a physical file. A physical file has a physical lifecycle from file creation to file destruction. Commonly, during this process, the file goes through the process of file building, file reference, file non-use, and file archiving. These steps often occur in that order though this need not be the case.
Because of the way files are maintained within present day computer systems, it is often difficult to retrieve files when lost. This is not because of backup failures and so forth, so much as due to poor organization and non-standard file lifecycle management. Typically, files are relocated manually which necessitates human interaction and the new location of the file has to be manually recorded. This process is prone to errors since it relies heavily on the individual to update the current location. For example, it is often only a guess when a specific file is archived. The name and location of the file may also be inexact. This leads to difficulties in accessing data once archived. It also leads to difficulty in accessing data during normal use.
The adoption of the concept of electronic file storage has increased the demand for storage on an ongoing basis. Huge networked storage repositories, which were once considered as unattainable, are now more widely available. The potential existence of such systems raises many questions of how to organize and coordinate where the files will be stored and for how long. These issues have plagued system administrators through out the evolution of the electronic age, and will continue in the future as the demand for electronic data increases. In most organizations their storage requirements are evolving at an exponential rate exceeding all expectations. This phenomenon along with the ongoing advancements in storage technologies that are occurring at a very fast rate are making existing storage repositories obsolete shortly after their deployment.